1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an arrangement of cowl stay on a motorcycle. More particularly, the present invention relates a motorcycle incorporating a cowl stay for supporting a cowling, which covers a front portion of the motorcycle.
2. Description of the Background Art
There is a known motorcycle having a cowl stay which extends in front of a head pipe and which supports a cowling covering a front portion of the motorcycle. An example of such motorcycle having cowl stay is disclosed in the Japanese Patent No. 3503889, particularly in FIG. 1 thereof.
As shown in FIG. 1 of the Japanese Patent No. 3503889, a cowl stay 9 (the same reference symbols as used in the patent document are used here and herein) is adapted to fix a cowling 1 to the body frame side, a rear end portion of a center bracket 21 of the cowl stay 9 is fixed to a head pipe 3, and a pair of mounting pieces 27, 27 constituting the cowl stay 9 are fixed to a down tube 6 forming the main frame.
According to the Japanese Patent No. 3503889, a front end portion of the cowl stay 9 is disposed on a rear side in relation to a front end portion of a head lamp unit 11. Therefore, for example, when an impact force inclusive of an excessively strong shock or the like is inputted from the front side, the impact force is received by the front wheel, and is not absorbed by the cowl stay 9.
In order to absorb the impact force by the cowl stay 9 effectively, the attitude of the vehicle has to be changed significantly. In other words, in the Japanese Patent No. 3503889, the cowl stay 9 appears to be not configured in view of absorption of impact.
Besides, in recent years, a motorcycle provided with an air bag module 20 (the reference symbol used in the relevant document is used here and hereinafter) on the front side of a seat occupied by an operator of the motorcycle has been known (refer to, for example, the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-69793 (FIG. 7)
As shown in FIG. 7 of the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-69793, the motorcycle include air bag module 20 (the reference symbol used in the relevant document is used here and hereinafter) which incorporates an air bag for effectively protecting the rider(s) when an impact force inclusive of an excessively strong shock or the like is exerted from the front side of the motorcycle.
It may be noted, however, that the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-69793 suggests protecting the rider(s) with the air bag, but a vehicle-body configuration for making the air bag function more effectively is not taken into consideration in the disclosure of this document.
The present invention has been made to overcome such drawbacks of the existing arrangement of cowl stay for a motorcycle. Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide an arrangement of a cowl stay on a motorcycle such that an attitude of a motorcycle can be sustained appropriately when an excessively strong impact force is exerted on the motorcycle from the front side of the motorcycle.